IF YOU DON'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE, MARCH 31ST IS YOUR LAST DAY TO SIGN UP FOR IT, AND AVOID A PENALTY FOR NOT HAVING IT UNDER FEDERAL THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SAYS ABOUT FOUR MILLION PEOPLE NATIONALLY HAVE SIGNED UP THROUGH THE EXCHANGES. BUT HOW IS IT GOING IN WISCONSIN? WE'RE ASKING STATE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER TED NICKEL. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE OVERVIEW AS WE APPROACH THIS DEADLINE. WHERE DO WE STAND IN TERMS OF STANDARDS? ONE THING I COULDN'T IMPRESS ON PEOPLE MORE IS MARCH 31, THE STORE CLOSES. WITHIN THAT FOLKS NEED TO HAVE SIGNED UP AND MADE A PREMIUM PAYMENT, MADE A PURCHASE OF HEALTH INSURANCE. THE DOWNSIDE IS OPEN ENROLLMENT DOES NOT BEGIN AGAIN. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PURCHASE INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE UNTIL NOVEMBER 15 OF 2014 FOR AN INITIAL COVERAGE DATE OF JANUARY 21. IT IS CRITICAL THAT IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE YOU NEED TO DO SO BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EITHER BEEN WAITING OR ARE UNAWARE THAT THE DEADLINE IS APPROACHING. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT NUMBERS, HOW MAY PEOPLE WILL TAKE PART OF THIS IN WISCONSIN. WHERE DO WE STAND? WE HAVE BEEN CONTACTING INSURANCE COMPANIES WHO ARE SELLING INDIVIDUAL POLICIES ON THE EXCHANGE. WE HAVE GOTTEN SOME REALLY GOOD NUMBERS AS TO WHAT THE NUMBERS AT SIGN UPS HAVE BEEN. THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP ARE ROUGHLY 47,000. 47,000 OF PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN HAVE USED THE EXCHANGE. IN THE OUTSIDE MARKET, WHERE YOU CAN STILL GO, 7800 FOLKS HAVE SIGNED UP. HAS THAT COMPARED TO WHAT YOU HAVEN'T. GOING INTO THIS. WE WERE GUESSING OR HOPING WE WOULD SEE NUMBERS IN THAT BALLPARK. WE WEREN'T SURE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET IS A FAIRLY SMALL PART OF THE WISCONSIN OVERALL HEALTH INSURANCE MARKET. MOST ARE GETTING INSURANCE THROUGH THEIR EMPLOYER OR THEY ARE AN AGE WHERE THEY'RE GETTING HELP THROUGH MEDICARE. I THINK RELATIVE TO OTHER STATES , ENROLLMENT NUMBERS ARE PRETTY SUCCESSFUL. AS WE APPROACH THIS DEADLINE, I WOULD GUESS THE NUMBERS ARE INCREASING. IS THERE A LAST-MINUTE RUSH? WE DON'T KNOW THE MARCH NUMBERS YET. I WOULD SUSPECT THEY WAIT FOR THE LAST-MINUTE. I SUSPECT WE WILL SEE A BIT OF AN UPTICK FROM WHAT WE KNOW BETWEEN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. TO THE FINAL NUMBERS POST MARCH 31. I SUSPECT THERE WILL BE A BIT OF AN UPTICK. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING BOTH FROM THE CONSUMERS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES AS TO HOW THIS IS ALL HAPPENING, HOW THE OPERATION IS WORKING AT THIS POINT. WE ARE REGULATING THE INDUSTRY SO WE ARE SEEING ISSUES FROM THE CONSUMER'S AND WE ARE ALSO SEEING ISSUES FROM THE CARRIER'S PERSPECTIVE. LATE LAST YEAR THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION SORT OF HAD A MISSION ACCOMPLISHED MOMENT. BUT WE HAVE SEEN IS THE FEDERAL WEBSITE IS WORKING BETTER. WE HAVE THE FRONT END OF THE TRANSACTION WORKING WELL. WE ARE STILL SEEING AND EXPERIENCING IS BACK AND ISSUES. -- BACK END ISSUES. THE DATA ISN'T MESHING UP QUITE RIGHT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR CONSUMERS? IS WHAT WE ARE CONCERNED FROM THE DEPARTMENT HOSPIRA SPECTER. WE FOUND A CONSUMERS WERE GETTING WRONG PLAN INFORMATION. WE WERE FINDING OUT THAT ZIP CODE INFORMATION WASN'T CORRECT. THOSE ISSUES WEREN'T GETTING FROM WHEN THE CONSUMER SIGNED UP TO WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT THEIR CARS. DOES IT FALL TO THE CONSUMER RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT IS WORKING OUT PROPERLY AND TO CORRECT THOSE PROBLEMS? YES AND NO. THE CONSUMERS NEEDED A COUPLE OF THINGS. A NEED TO PAY THEIR PREMIUM. THEY REALLY NEED TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE WHAT THEY PURCHASED MATCHES UP WITH WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WANTED. THE DEADLINE IS MARCH 31. THEY SHOULD CALL THE DEPARTMENT IF THEY HAVE ISSUES. TECHNICAL, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US. -- TED NICKEL, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.